Mother Machine
Delain Lyrics


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Incomplete, cast in the concrete
Walk the city streets
Granite sky
My machine built the factories
Feeds the worker bees
Get in line

Round and round and round
The wheels come down
Dreaming of the steam
The pounding sounds
Round and round and round
The wheels come down
Won't you electrify my soul
Intensify it all

Little girl in the concrete world
Artificial hurt
In your eyes
You won't see any living trees
Any flower fields in my time

Round and round and round
The wheels come down
Dreaming of the steam
The pounding sounds
Round and round and round
The wheels come down
Won't you electrify my soul
Intensify it all

I like the plastic people paper world
The silver moon, the iron sun
I'll fold you paper flowers little girl
For you'll never see a real one

Round and round and round
The wheels come down
Dreaming of the steam
The pounding sounds
Round and round and round
The wheels come down




Won't you electrify my soul
Intensify it all

Overall Meaning

The song "Mother Machine" by Delain is an exploration of the cost of technological progress, where human emotions and the natural world are sacrificed to the cult of efficiency and productivity. The opening lines of the song, "Incomplete, cast in the concrete, walk the city streets, granite sky" set the stage for the industrialized and artificial landscape that dominates the song's lyrics. The "Mother Machine" of the title is a metaphor for the dehumanizing forces of modern society, where individuals are reduced to cogs in a soulless apparatus of production and consumption. The song describes the cycle of technology, where machines are built to create factories, which in turn feed the worker bees. The mechanized world takes over, and the relentless drumbeat of the production line becomes the heartbeat of the industrialized society.


The song's protagonist, a little girl in the concrete world, is surrounded by artificiality and hurt. She longs to see living trees and flower fields, but in this world, those are nothing but distant memories. The lyrics describe the plastic people and the paper world, where even the moon and sun are made of silver and iron. The chorus of the song repeats the line "round and round and round, the wheels come down," repeating the cyclical nature of industrial society, which continues to turn without regard for anything but efficiency and productivity. The song ends with a plea for someone to electrify the singer's soul and intensify their emotions, suggesting that the dehumanizing forces of the "Mother Machine" have taken their toll on the person's humanity.


Line by Line Meaning

Incomplete, cast in the concrete
Feeling incomplete and trapped in this urbanized, industrialized world where everything feels cemented and predetermined.


Walk the city streets
Moving through this concrete world searching for something more, but everything feels the same.


Granite sky
The cold, unfeeling, and uninviting atmosphere that defines this artificial world.


My machine built the factories
Feeling like a cog in the machine that helps maintain the oppressive system that's keeping people trapped and unfulfilled.


Feeds the worker bees
The system is built to keep people busy and productive, despite how it often feels meaningless and robotic.


Get in line
Conforming to society's expectations and following the rules, despite how much it goes against one's true desires.


Round and round and round The wheels come down Dreaming of the steam The pounding sounds
Feeling stuck in a continuous cycle (of work, of life, of routine) that feels suffocating, hoping for something more exciting.


Won't you electrify my soul Intensify it all
Yearning for an experience or moment that will awaken a deeper sense of excitement and passion in life.


Little girl in the concrete world Artificial hurt In your eyes
Seeing the pain and disillusionment experienced by those who are born into this system and may not know anything beyond it.


You won't see any living trees Any flower fields in my time
This world is so consumed by industrialization and doesn't prioritize the importance of preserving natural beauty and life.


I like the plastic people paper world The silver moon, the iron sun
Being conditioned to find beauty and enjoyment in these artificial things that don't provide genuine emotional fulfillment.


I'll fold you paper flowers little girl For you'll never see a real one
Adapting to this world means sacrificing genuine human connection and beauty, so even something as simple as a flower might never be encountered.


Round and round and round The wheels come down Dreaming of the steam The pounding sounds
That continual feeling of being trapped in a system that feels like it's never going to change.


Won't you electrify my soul Intensify it all
Asking for a moment of genuine excitement or passion that can help break the cycle and make everything feel more alive.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID M MARTIJN WESTERHOLT, GUUS EIKENS, JOHANNA CHARLOTTE WESSELS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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